“Xamou” (the Cretan expression for “it’s my call”)

Crete. Back to one’s roots. The beauty of nature. The beauty of men, too. The hope that the earth gives birth in contrast to the disappointment brought by Greece’s economic crisis.

The hero of “Xamou” (the Cretan expression for “it’s my call”), Johnny, is a 55-year-old successful and professional hotel manager in Crete, husband and father of three, who suddenly got unemployed. While hiding in the dark playroom of his detached house and gambling on the Internet, his wife urges him to spend a day with local producers; a fisherman, a young and ambitious cheesemaker, wine-makers. Johnny considers that there could be a positive outcome in exploiting and promoting these products abroad.

Kleio Fanouraki’s first short-film makes it clear, first and foremost, how this movie will end up. Based on the radiance of the landscape and the positive stereotypes about Cretans, Fanouraki sets up a social comedy. The film is full of the Cretan life. It features folklore, mantinades (a form of folk song) and lutes, and Anna Fonsu as a guest.

The direction of the movie leads the audience with a pleasant pace. The lead actor, George Chorafas, is easy-going and charming. Lefteris Eleftheriou (of AbOvo and “The Generation of 592 Euros”) is bright and attractive on screen, while the Cretan nature is easy for the eyes and offers peace for the mind.